


Bad girl

by queststar



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Bisexuality, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Idiots in Love, Souls, mazella
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:47:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26355958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queststar/pseuds/queststar
Summary: Maze is looking for a connection but fails to see what's right under her nose.Set during S05E08 - contains a few transcriptions, so spoiler alert - and diverts from canon during and after.Because Maze and Ella are sogoodtogether <3
Relationships: Ella Lopez & Mazikeen, Ella Lopez/Mazikeen
Comments: 17
Kudos: 107





	Bad girl

_“You just have to find someone to connect with.”_ Linda’s shifty, eyes all over the place. Somewhere, the baby’s crying.

It’s early in the morning and Maze came over to talk. She’s a little miffed that Linda seems distracted. Rude. She’s come here for some serious talking, and Linda’s not even paying attention. Maze has real problems, otherwise she wouldn’t be here at this ungodly hour. Best thing Linda can do is to pay at least a little attention while she’s pouring her heart out. After all, that’s what she _does_ , isn’t it?

Maze sighs. “I just scare everybody away,” she answers, a little unhappy. 

"Well, I’m still here, right?” Linda smiles encouragingly. That’s true, she is. Despite knowing who or _what_ she is, Linda’s her friend. “So,” the therapist continues, ”you just know that when you find someone that you’re romantically interested in, you just try not to be so scary. You know, be more open, emotionally available.” 

“Emotionally available.” Maze narrows her eyes and ponders it. Available, how? All she knows is pain, hurt, and even though the both of them are very powerful emotions, she is sure that Linda doesn’t mean those. 

~*~ 

She gets an epiphany when she sees Ellen going around the police station like a butterfly, touching and hugging everyone. Maze’s got to say, the latina is not shy. She even hugs Lucifer, and doesn’t care that he hardly ever returns them. 

So, as soon as Ellen lets go of the dude she’s hugging right now, and after a couple of inquiries if she’s sleeping with him - Ellen’s face turns all comical on that question - Maze tilts her head and studies Ellen.

“How do you do that, Ellen? How are you so… friendly?” Maze folds her hands in front of her chest, observes Ellen. Ellen looks at her, squints her eyes and shrugs with one shoulder. 

“I don’t know, I guess I’m just me, you know? El-la.” She pronounces her name slowly as if she’s talking to a mentally challenged demon while raising an eyebrow - as if that means anything - , and excuses herself while she leaves Maze to ponder on what she’s just said. 

Maze has to be more likable. Less scary, Linda said. If there’s anyone who isn’t scary at all, it’s Ellen. Ella. Whatever. If Ellen/Ella’s just herself, then maybe Maze needs to be a little more like her. Even if the thought makes her a little nauseous. She starts walking towards the exit of the police station. She’s got work to do.

~*~ 

“Wait, did you steal my clothes?!” 

Maze beams at her, pulls Ella in a tight hug and Ella awkwardly pats her back accordingly. “I’m confused,” Ella adds, directing her eyes towards Chloe in a silent plea for help. Maze notices, and withstands the urge to roll with her eyes. She’s trying, dammit.

“I understand how you feel,” Maze says, a smile plastered on her face while pulling back and gripping Ella’s upper arms. The smile almost hurts her face. Being nice is harder than she thought. But, she needs to be emotionally available. Thoughtful. “Ella.”   
  
“Oooh, you got my name right!” Ella beams back at her. Maze chuckles and surprisingly, feels good about herself for making Ella so happy. Maybe there’s something to say for this whole being nice bullshit after all. And surprisingly, this was pretty easy.

“Should I even ask?” Chloe all but snorts.  
  
“Oh, ask away!” Maze beams at her, gritting her teeth in the proces. No, no snarls. Be nice, Maze, she reminds herself. “I’m completely open and emotionally available now.” She smirks at Decker and then back to Ella. “Just like my good friend Ella.”

Chloe rolls with her eyes and turns to focus on the case, both Ella and Maze on her heels. 

~*~ 

“We’re on it, on it. Come on, Maze!” Both Ella and Maze get up from the couch in Lux, where they’ve hosted a party to draw out some deaf chick who wants to kill a DJ. Maze hasn’t really paid attention to the details, just that they’re looking for some girl with a hearing aid. Maze goes up the stairs, finds a girl at a barstool to talk with (Karen, there’s always a Karen, Maze thinks, lip curled into a snarl), while her eyes follow Ella through the crowd. She’s laughing, dancing, touching people casually, beaming, smiling as she touches their faces lightly to spot a hearing aid. 

Seeing Ella move through the crowd has something… mesmerizing, Maze thinks. She pays attention to Ella’s movements, because it’s important that Maze can do exactly what Ella does, later. But there’s something which makes it nearly impossible to turn away her gaze from the young latina who’s smiling and talking briefly to these people and they just _let her touch them_. 

And then, Ella seems to freeze, causing Maze to sit upright instantly, immediately watchful. Ella’s movements slow down as she stares at someone at the bar. While Karen yaps on, Maze follows the line of Ella’s sight, landing on a guy standing near the bar. There’s something tightening in her stomach. 

It’s probably something to do with the fact that Maze’s been shadowing Ella this entire day, trying to be more _emotionally available_ in these ridiculous clothes, but her stomach starts to coil as she sees how Ella gathers herself, starts her research again, but now obviously making her way to the guy at the bar. Karen’s saying something about a colorblind manicurist but Maze really doesn’t give a crap what she’s talking about. She’s not wearing a hearing aid anyway and Maze’s lost interest in her a long while ago.

She momentarily loses sight of Ella in the crowd as Karen offers her to show her a pineapple-shaped birthmark, first declining, then reconsidering - _be nicer, Maze -_ and Karen flashes up her skirt. Maze has seen a lot, so she couldn’t care less, but when she looks up, she says: “Oh, shit.” 

“Yeah, my ex thinks it looks gross, too.” 

Maze doesn’t even hear it, locks her eyes at the duo at the bar. They’re all over each other and there’s even _tongues_ involved, Maze says, feeling a pang of disgust (which surprises her, because sex is one of the best things ever. Well, second after a good fight and a gruesome kill, perhaps. Sometimes).

She jumps off her seat, stalks over to the bar, grabs Ella’s arm and pulls her away from the guy that obviously is not right for her. Anyone can see that, Maze scowls. “What are you doing?” she all but snaps.

“What?” Maze glares at Ella’s slightly dazed expression, and then she seems to snap out of it. “Oh, I finished my section. No hearing aids.” 

“So you thought you’d find one in that guy’s mouth?” Maze narrows her eyes as she points him out. 

Ella looks behind her for a second and folds her arms in front of her chest. “What about you, Maze? You’ve been talking to the same person the whole time.” She nods at someone next to her. Karen apparently followed her and is now dancing behind her. Or tries to, because she sucks at it.

“Karen and I have had a very long and meaningful conversation.” Maze makes sure to talk slow and articulate. “I feel… connected to her already.” Ella raises her eyebrow, not buying it for one second, so Maze continues, a little exasperated: “Yeah. And to every annoying detail of her life.” 

“Oh my God, Maze, I know what you’re doing, okay? And pretending to be me is stupid.,” Ella cries out, raising her voice more than necessary in the loud environment. Maze quirks an eyebrow and Ella rolls her eyes, leaning forward. She grabs Maze’s upper arm. “I.. I am clearly no role model. I’m just a magnet for losers.” She waves behind her, missing the step back Maze takes, narrowed eyes as if Ella’s punched her in the gut.

“Bitch.” the guy scoffs and he leaves.  
  
“See?” Ella waves a hand and looks up for guidance. And for some reason, it annoys the hell out of Maze. Ella’s probably the nicest, kindest person she knows. And she just sees herself as someone who makes bad choices and can’t snap out of it.

“Well, I was just you for two full hours and being genuinely nice like that… literally the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.” And that’s saying something, being a hell demon and all. “But maybe you’re right… Ella. If all you think you deserve is some loser like that… maybe I _should_ learn from someone else,” she bites at her, and immediately regrets it when she sees the flash of hurt across Ella’s face.

Maze walks away, leaving Ella speechless for one, and while not really knowing _why_ Ella’s words “magnet for losers” hit her right in the chest, only knowing that they did. 

~*~ 

When the case’s over and Chloe caught the killer, it takes a while for Maze to find Ella again. It doesn’t sit quite right with her, the way she snapped at the poor girl. Ella’s been nothing but supportive and Maze can appreciate that. Even if they have nothing whatsoever in common. 

A guy’s just leaving her and Ella has this tender smile on her face, which twists Maze’s insides. She dislikes the dude instantly and can’t for the love of it figure out why. She nods as he walks away, pursing her lips. “He seems nice.” 

“I think he actually is.” Ella looks at his retreating back, a small smile on her lips, and then her eyes flash back to Maze. “But so are you, Maze.” 

Maze rolls her eyes. 

“Well, maybe not nice. But… good.” There’s a fondness on Ella’s face that Maze cannot place and she blinks in surprise. No one’s ever called her good. She’s been the number one hell demon, available for all your torturing, for an eternity and scares the crap out of most even with her human glamour on, and this… woman, just called her a good person. It must mean… 

She tilts her head, eyes slightly narrowed. “You don’t think I’m scary?” 

“O, I think you are _hella_ scary.” Ella looks at her pointedly and Maze’s stomach drops, but Ella’s not finished yet. “But it’s good scary, because it’s… you.” There’s a fondness, an appreciation in Ella’s eyes that makes Maze a little queasy inside. “And I know that when you finally show someone how absolutely amazing you are, you’re gonna find your soulmate.” 

Maze smiles painfully at the sensitive subject of souls and soulmates, doesn’t really register the wistfulness in Ella’s words, misplaces the longing in her tone for something else, and feels the urge to shield herself from her churning and twisting insides. A soulmate, she scoffs. She’s lucky to ever find someone who matches her temper, who can stand up to her without having their head ripped off within a heartbeat. 

Feelings suck. Being emotionally available sucks. It doesn’t matter anyway. She’ll never find someone who will accept her for who she is. Not completely, because they _can’t_ or actually, _Maze_ can’t. She was a fool for even trying.

Maze internally growls, and then her face goes mercifully blank as she points her piercing gaze at Ella. “You can’t find a soulmate if you don’t have a soul.” She strides away from Ella with long steps. Horrified, she feels the tears sting behind her eyes and tries to pull herself together.

Soulless demons from hell don’t cry, after all.

~*~

“I guess I have to thank you for last night. For, you know, saving me from that bad guy. I woke up not feeling bad about myself this morning and it’s probably because you pulled me away from him and gave me that snappy speech of yours.” Ella sighs deeply, rearranging some of her work supplies in the lab. “I always fall for the bad boys,” she says, “It’s like, I have a radar that’s only pinging when I’m seeing one of those. Like I’ve got these spidy senses for ‘em. And I honestly don't know how to end it.” 

Maze rolls her eyes. “Well, you can say no. You’re physically capable of doing so, since nobody’s severed your vocal chords. Nobody’s telling you to shove your tongue in their mouths.” 

She’s leaning against the table in the lab, arms folded in front of her chest. Maze just returned the clothes she borrowed from Ella the day before and is happy she’s in her own, black leather pants again. Way, way better. 

It also brings back the sarcasm instantly. Also, way, way better.

"That’s just it! Apparently I can’t say no.” Ella makes a helpless gesture with her hands, while she drops on one of the high chairs at the table in the middle of her lab. “It’s like, my head short circuits or something and I can’t _think._ My knees go weak and before I know it, I’m done for.” She cringes. 

“Well, I’m… bad, most of the time. Do your spidy senses tingle now?” Maze leans over, face closer to Ella. She feels Ella’s breath on her face, studies the dark brown of Ella’s eyes for any kind of a response. Ella frowns, eyes flicking from Maze’s dark intense eyes to her cleavage that’s now well presented in front of her. Maze carefully watches her reaction, eyes narrowed.

“No,” Ella says slowly, “But you’re not a bad guy. Woman.” She shakes her head and sits up straight, creating more distance between them, and makes an impatient gesture. “ I don’t think you’re bad.” 

Ella said yesterday that she thought Maze was good. At first, it felt even… nice. Now, for some reason it annoys the crap out of her. “No, I _am_ a bad girl,” Maze sputters, “I’m… a _way_ badder badass than you could ever imagine!” 

Ella shrugs while leaning her head onto her hands, elbows firmly placed on the table. “No,” she simply says, “You have some anger issues and maybe some abandonment problems, but you’re not _bad_.” 

Unbelievable. Maze stares at Ella, then scoffs. This girl is unbelievable. Anger and abandonment problems? She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Relentlessly suppressing the nagging voice in the back of her mind, she retreats from the table, taking a few steps backwards. 

She doesn’t understand Ella. Can’t deal with how this human sees the best in everything and everyone - even those so-called bad boys. “Well,” she says, clearing her throat. “If you want to, I can save you from ‘em. Kill ‘em dead, and all, before they even touch you.” She’s not even joking.

“Aw, that’s sweet! I love that you’d do that for me, Maze,” Ella says, pushing herself away from the table and making her way to the door, simultaneously with Maze. When they’re in each other’s personal space, she pats Maze’s shoulder. “But that would probably only add to my work load.” 

She leaves the lab after that, and Maze left behind at the door, feels strangely riled up because of their conversation. Ella not acknowledging Maze as someone bad, as someone she basically says can’t be into strangely upsets her.

And she can’t for the love of the asshole up in the sky figure out why.

~*~

Ella actually starts dating this nice guy for once and Maze is brooding. The demon keeps her distance. Tries to find ways to see if she’s good enough for someone. If anyone else but these merry bunch of deranged do-good cops think more of her than just the scary one. If anyone else but Ella can see past the darkness that she wears as a mask these days. The problem is that she never lifts that mask. It’s easier to keep it on and fall back into her own routines.

But she’s more snappy, more angry, more of anything, really. People start to avoid her at the precinct before she just stops showing up. She’s wallowing in her own thoughts, in her self pity - and once she realizes the latter, she forces herself to go out and pick a fight in a bar.

At least that alleviates some of the tension.

Finding people. Interrogating them, Maze-style. It’s a refuge, a tiny voice lisps in the back of her head. She doesn’t care. At least it makes her _feel_ something. And so she does her job, until shit hits the fan.

Chloe is kidnapped and Ella’s supersweet and overly thoughtful boyfriend turns out to be a psycho serial killer. The latina has once more fallen for a bad boy, Maze bitterly thinks - because apparently, Ella believes that’s all she’s good at. But this time, it’s not about Maze. It’s about Ella, and that realization hits Maze by surprise. For once, she wants to help someone without any ulterior motives. Ella is angry, sad, heartbroken, and Maze senses it deep inside. She wants to reach out and _help._ She’s standing outside of the interrogation room with Lucifer, who’s more antsy than she’s ever seen him. 

The widely feared ruler of hell is _scared_ , Maze realizes, but she doesn't have the time to think about _why_. 

Because then Ella storms into the interrogation room, and Maze immediately wants to move in as well. Lucifer stops her and Maze wants to push him away.

“She’s in no shape to face him,” she urgently tells him, trying to pry herself loose. Lucifer doesn’t look at her, just watches how the interaction inside the room unfolds. “Miss Lopez is stronger than you think. She’s stronger than she thinks,” he tells her, focused on what’s happening inside the room.

Maze grabs a chair, digs her fingers into the wood while she’s watching helplessly - if there’s anything Maze is bad at, it’s being helpless. Especially, apparently, when it’s someone she cares about. Because Ella is her _friend_ and she doesn’t want to see her being hurt, and she can’t stop to think what that means in the first place.

And Ella’s talking to the psychopath, he’s telling her that with her he hoped to feel something, but no, and Maze wants to carve his heart out and feed it to him on the spot. She would have, were it not that they first need to know where Chloe is. 

“I did everything right, everything that you’re supposed to do,” the sonofabitch continues with a blank face against Ell, and bile rises up in Maze’s throat as he meticulously describes what he’s done so far, and how could she have been so lost in her own problems while Chloe is still missing and Ella almost got killed by her psycho-boyfriend? It eats at her, and it freaks her out that she was absent in all of this, that maybe she could’ve prevented it, and then, she doesn’t understand why she feels like this because she usually cares only about herself.

It’s because she’s not alone in the world anymore, she suddenly realizes. And Ella, Ella is a part of the not being alone.

“There is darkness in you, Ella,” the killer says, tone shifting. “I recognized it the very first moment that we met.” Maze grits her teeth and when Ella says he’s going to burn in hell upon leaving the room, Maze vows that that’s exactly what he’s going to do for more than eternity. And then some. 

~*~

Eventually, they find Chloe - and sadly, it doesn’t involve tearing the asshole apart with her blades - and Ella’s gone from the precinct. She doesn’t answer her phone, so Maze goes looking for her in her apartment. 

She comes in through the balcony, the door is easily forced open and she barges inside. “Ella?” she says, a demanding tone lining her voice.

“Maze?! How the hell did you get- No. Go away. I don’t want to see anyone.” Ella’s voice comes from the bedroom and she sounds defeated, her voice is dull. For someone who couldn’t care less about anyone else’s feelings but her own, Maze is strangely affected. Even when Ella went through her disbelieving phase she hasn’t sounded so heartbroken and defeated as she does now.

“No.” 

It’s a simple but definitive reply, but filled with everything Maze cannot explain. For a moment, she doesn’t hear anything and then some shuffling. Then, there’s an exasperated sigh from the other side of the door.

“Can’t you just like, let me be heartbroken by myself? I just want to cry and crawl under my duvet and shut the world out and wallow in self pity for a while.” 

“No,” Maze repeats. “If you want to, I can stop talking to you, but I won’t leave.” She turns and climbs out of the window, onto the balcony. “I’ll wait here. You go do your duvet thing, but I’m not going anywhere until you feel better.”

“Well,” Ella murmurs, “But that might take a while.” 

“I don’t care. I’m not leaving you.” 

And so, Maze stands silent watch while Ella goes back to bed and crawls under the duvet once more. 

~*~

Maze is there to stay. Sometimes, when Ella sleeps, she comes in and fixes her something to eat, which she leaves either on the bed stand or in front of her door, if it’s closed. Ella doesn’t say anything, but the food is gone every time. Maze smirks. Eating’s a good thing. That means Ella doesn’t want to kill herself. It’d be a shame if a pious thing like Ella would end up in hell over some asshole killer.

In the meantime, she waits. Sometimes inside, sometimes outside. When it rains, she claims the couch in the living room. Sometimes she takes post at her front door (especially when her colleagues came along to see how she was doing. Maze takes her job as being a guard seriously, especially when Ella specifically says she doesn’t want to see anyone. 

Then, Chloe comes up to Ella’s apartment, stopping when she notices that she isn’t alone in the hallway. She eyes Maze, up and down, when Maze just stares blankly back at her, unmoving, with her hands on her hips. “How is she?” Chloe asks.

“Alive. She’s eating, so she doesn't want to kill herself,” Maze informs her, and Chloe smiles a little tentative. 

“That’s good.”   
  
“She wants to be left alone, Chloe. So I’m not letting anyone in.” Maze gives her a stare down and eventually, Chloe concedes. “All right, but just… take care of her, okay? She shouldn’t be alone.”   
  
“She isn’t,” Maze snaps back.

“I know,” Chloe answered unfazed, reaching over to squeeze Maze’s arm - the demon is just a little bit surprised that apparently, her angry face doesn’t intimidate as it used to. “Thanks, Maze. Maybe… let her know we’re thinking of her.”

After this specific encounter, Maze goes inside. There’s some shuffling, some creaking sound that the bed makes, and then, Ella stands in the door opening. Maze leans against the inside of the front door, hands folded in front of her, watching Ella move slowly.

“Who was that?”  
  
“Chloe,” Maze replies stoically.

“Aw. That’s so sweet of her, to drop by,” Ella whispers. “She’s been through hell and she still shows up.” 

Maze withholds a snort. If only Ella would know. “I guess that’s what humans do,” she retorts, and then her eyes widen because of her slip.

Fortunately, Ella doesn’t seem to notice. “Not all of them. Just… the ones who care for you. They stay.”

“Do they really?” Maze scoffs. “That’s not my experience. Everyone leaves, eventually.”

“But not you.”

Maze wants to roll with her eyes, but doesn’t. She opens her mouth, but can’t speak. And after a couple of very long seconds, she says: “Huh,” as if she just now realizes that she selflessly stayed in and around Ella’s apartment. Maze, who always thinks about herself first, then others if she really must.

Ella smiles. “Well, thanks, Maze. You’ve been a great friend. I’m going to take a shower because I smell like hell.”

She doesn’t, Maze wants to reply, but instead, pulls up a corner of her mouth. “I’m still not going anywhere,” she tells Ella, and Ella smiles.

“I know.” 

And that’s basically how Maze more or less moves in with Ella. Only to keep an eye on Ella. Only until Ella feels better. And it works. Ella goes back to work after a few days, but Maze doesn’t move out. Not just yet.

~*~

“I like it.” 

“What?”

“Us being roomies. Hang out together, watch movies, talk… or I talk, most of the time. Even doing dishes together.” Ella smirks. “But anyway, I like having you here. See? I told you before. You’re a good person.” 

“No I’m not,” Maze automatically replies, and Ella scoffs.

“Don’t argue with the heartbroken woman next to you who only needs your compassion.” Ella raises an eyebrow at her, slightly mocking her, and Maze finds herself… amused, and she smirks back. It’s a good thing that Ella can make jokes about her psycho killer asshole ex-boyfriend. But then, Ella’s eyes cloud over, causing Maze to straighten her shoulder. 

“What’s up?”  
  
“It’s stupid, it’s…” Ella sighs with the shake of her head. 

“Tell me, and I’ll say if it’s stupid,” Maze offers.

“It’s… something _he_ said.” They’ve never talked about the guy using his first name. Maze can’t even remember it. “He said there’s darkness in me. That he saw it when we met.” 

For a few seconds, Maze is silent. Then, she scoffs. “Ella,” she slowly starts, “You were right. It is stupid.” She gives Ella a hard look. 

Ella looks at her, slightly hurt. “Hey! You’re supposed to be on my side.” 

“I _am_ ,” Maze scoffs. “You’re one of the most positive and good people I’ve ever met. And that’s saying something. You light freaking rooms, Ella. You genuinely care about other people, even if it’s almost sickening sometimes. Trust me, if there was a big bad hiding inside you, I’d have sniffed it out by now.” 

It still doesn’t seem to convince Ella, and Maze grows impatience. “You’re better than this, Ella. I see who you really are. Chloe sees it. Hell, even Lucifer does. And he’s the most self centered guy I have ever known, so _that says something._ ” Ella looks at her, wide eyed, but Maze isn’t done yet. “But that all doesn’t matter if you continue to put yourself down to a loser level if you prefer to believe some son of a bitch who didn’t even care about you in the first place above the people who love you. If you continue to place yourself in the gutter, then you’ll never-”

Ella lunges forward, surprising Maze, throws her arms around Maze’s neck and Maze yelps in surprise when the girl pulls her in a tight hug. For a second, Maze is paralyzed, and then, she slowly and a little awkward places her arms around Ella’s shoulders, patting them uncomfortably. Her heart rate picks up, beats in her ears as a warmth erupts in her lower belly. There’s a sudden tension in the air that wasn’t present, just moments before, which makes Maze hold her breath. “Yeah yeah,” she grumbles after a few moments, deciding that this moment lasted long enough, does not recognize her feelings and tries to softly push Ella away.

Ella complies just a little, but keeps her arms wrapped around Maze’s neck. “You’re a big softie,” she murmurs, looking in her almost black eyes with a fond expression.

Maze scoffs and rolls her eyes. “I’m the biggest baddest badass that you’ll ever know. You’re just lucky you’re on my good side,” she huffs. 

Ella studies her for a few seconds, head slightly tilted, before she lets go of Maze’s neck. And Maze experiences it as a loss, which leaves her confused.

~*~ 

A faint sound awakes Maze and she immediately slips off the couch without making a sound. 

She’d fallen asleep on the couch, which she had for a while now, but something woke her up in the middle of the night. Adrenaline rushes through her veins. She knows her instincts never lie. Her eyes adjust to the darkness inside the apartment and she scans the living room.

All her senses are heightened. But the only thing that she hears is silence. _Something_ has woken her up. Her nostrils flare when she detects a faint movement. Her muscles tense, she readies herself for the attack, fingers curled around her blades. And then, when her opponent moves again, she launches herself at him with a growl.

“Maze!” 

They slam into the wall while Maze drops her knife. “Ella?! What the hell are you doing here?”

“Well, it’s my house, remember,” Ella sputters, eyes wide with fear, while Maze’s hand still wrapped around her throat. It’s the fear that startles Maze enough to stumble back, and she lets go of the young woman. Adrenaline is still coursing through her body.

“I could’ve killed you!” Maze barks at her, distraught because of the fear she spotted in Ella’s eyes, panic rising in her own stomach simultaneously. She doesn’t want Ella to be afraid of her. She doesn’t want Ella to turn away from her.

She doesn’t want to be abandoned again.

Not by her.

The thought shakes her to her very core and it causes her to wrap her arms around her own body as Ella heaves to catch her breath.

“Next time I’ll come in singing loudly,” Ella huffs. “You scared the crap out of me. That hurt,” she adds, rubbing the back of her head. 

“Well, _excuse_ me for trying to protect your sorry ass,” Maze bites back. Anger and hurt cause her to lash out, and she turns away from Ella’s gaze.

A few seconds, there’s a loaded silence. Then, Maze hears how Ella comes a little closer. She tenses when she feels a soft hand on her shoulder. “Maze, I… I didn’t mean I was scared of _you_. Just the way you kind of almost threw me through the wall and all, and I think it really isn’t super strange for me that I was scared. It is probably pretty natural.” She looks at Maze with a gentle smirk on her face and then winces. “I’m surprised there isn’t an Ella imprint at the wall because, geez. I’ll be blue all over.”

Maze scoffs, still trying to recompose herself, and breathes a little shaky.

“Probably.”

~*~

“So,” Maze says, barging into Linda’s office without warning, “Last night, I nearly killed Ella because she snuck up on me and I hated the way I felt about it and I _never_ do, so I need you to tell me what it means.” 

“Maze,” Linda answers, exasperated, “I’m in the middle of a session.” She waves a hand to the guy sitting across from her, on the couch.

“Oh,” Maze says, crashing down on the couch next to the flabbergasted guy, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. “He doesn’t mind.” 

“Actually I do,” he sputters, and Maze frowns, turns her head towards him and stares at him blankly, until sweat drops start to pearl on his forehead and he hurries to gather his things. “Oh, uh… N-no, I don’t.” 

After he’s hurriedly left the room (Maze kept his eye on him, he better shouldn’t try anything), Linda leans back, accepting defeat. “All right. How did it make you feel?”

“She was scared of me, and I didn’t want her to reject me.” 

“Hm.” Linda straightens her shoulders. “You’ve been living with Ella for a few weeks now, haven’t you?”  
  
“Yeah, but I can’t see how that’s got something to do with it,” Maze retorts. Linda only smiles. Ugh. Maze hates when she does that. Linda _knows_ something but she isn’t going to let her in on it before she asks more questions. Maze snorts.

“The last time we talked was about you being more emotionally available,” Linda begins,” About being… open to someone you wanted to be romantically involved with. Is there a chance that Ella-”  
  
“Yeah, no,” Maze dismisses, interrupting Linda’s and her own line of thought. “That can’t be it.”

“Why not?” 

“Demon, no soul, remember?” Maze says with a roll of her eyes, jerking her thumb at herself. “I can’t do love.”

“Hm, I don’t agree. You’ve proven that you can grow attached to someone. You’ve befriended several people here on earth. Me,” she smiles. “Love comes in all shapes and sizes. And you’ve loved romantically before. With Eve-”  
  
“We’re not talking about Eve,” Maze interrupts again, voice low. “She wasn’t human. It’s _different._ ”

“Okay, well, let’s rewind,” Linda offers, unfazed by Maze’s frustration. “You attacked her because you thought she was someone else. Then, you realized who she was and felt, what? Fear of rejection?”

“Yes,” Maze huffs, a little impatient. “And I need to know what it means.”

“It means that you’ve grown… attached to Ella.” Linda talks slowly, as if she has to think about which words to use. “You’ve created a bond over the last couple of weeks that is probably stronger than you realize. It’s only natural you don’t want to be abandoned by a good _friend_ , over last night’s incident.”

Maze purses her lips, mulling over those words. “Do you think I need to apologize?”

Linda raises her eyebrows. “Well, I guess that can’t hurt, but I doubt that’s what Ella is waiting for. She’s bright, she’s probably figured it out on her own that your intentions were good.”

There’s that word again. Maze scoffs again. “She says that, too. That I’m… _good._ I’m not, Linda. I’m _the most skilled and efficient torturer Hell's ever known._ That and good, it’s just not compatible.” 

“Yes, well. You haven’t been in Hell for quite some time now, haven’t you? People change and apparently, so can demons.” The therapist eyes Maze fondly. “You’re an entirely different person then when I met you the first time.”

“She’s only attracted to bad boys,” Maze mutters, and again, Linda’s eyebrows aim for the sky. “Her last one was a serial killer.” 

“Yes, I noticed.” Linda’s gaze turns more intense, carefully watching all Maze’s responses. “Maze, is that why you don’t want to be called good by Ella? Because you want her to be… attracted to you?”

Maze falls silent. “Maybe,” she replies a little defensive. 

“So basically, you want her to like you but you can’t... like her back?”

Maze gazes at her, confused, and Linda shrugs. “That’s what you’re telling me. You say you can’t have feelings for someone because you have no soul, but at the same time you wished Ella wouldn’t call you good because apparently that’s something she’s not attracted to.”

The demon ponders on that for a bit. “Huh.”

“A soul doesn’t define who you are, Maze,” Linda says, more quietly now. “You’re dismissing everything you _can_ feel because of it. Whereas Pete, a human, _has_ a soul and still committed the crimes and used Ella. Instead, look at your own actions. You’ve made sure Ella wasn’t alone during her time of grief. You’ve provided her with whatever she needed. You wanted to protect her when you thought someone had entered her house. What does that tell you about yourself?” 

Pete. That was the sonofabitch’ name. She forgets it immediately again, thinking about Linda’s words. “So what you’re saying is that a soul doesn’t mean that you can feel… attached? Or that not having one doesn’t mean you can’t feel for someone?” She can’t believe that she’s anywhere near capable of really, _really_ loving a human.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Maze runs a hand through her hair, a little frustrated. “Why is this so complicated?”

Linda smiles sympathetically. “Lov… _Liking_ someone always is, in the beginning. Until you figure it out together.” She shrugs. “Rest assured, you’re not the only one wrestling with this. This is one of the things that pays my bills, at the end of the day.”

~*~

“Psst. Maze. I’m going to the kitchen so, please, maybe don’t almost stab me this time?”

Maze wakes up to Ella’s hissing voice and rolls her eyes in the dark. “I won’t,” she murmurs, blinking the sleep from her eyes. “Why are you awake?” She squints at the clock. “It’s like, three in the morning.” The apartment is almost dark, save from the light that comes from Ella’s bedroom, framing her figure.  
  
“Yeah, well, I can’t sleep.” Ella sighs, continuing her way to the kitchen and turning on a little light. “So I thought about drinking whisky, but maybe I shouldn’t.”

“I can make you a mean cocktail if you want to,” Maze offers, and Ella only rejects the idea after a few moments.   
  
“That’s super sweet of you, Maze, but I think I’ll just go for some warm milk. See if I can sleep again. Got work in the morning and I’m sure they’ll be preeetty pissed if I show up with a hangover. I know all about your cocktails,” Ella mutters with a wince.

Maze shrugs.

Ella grabs a mug, opens the door of the fridge and grabs a can of milk. Sniffs it before pouring it in - it’s something Ella always does, Maze has noticed. She always sniffs before she pours in her milk. Then, the latina puts the mug in the microwave.

Maze’s eyes trail over Ella’s figure, clothed in a silly cotton nightgown with the text “Besties with the Big Guy” and she suppresses a snort. Then, she remembers her conversation with Linda. Attached, that’s what she feels, she reminds herself. Attached to Ella. And attracted, too, which is a feeling she will recognize anywhere. A good tumble in the sheets is one of Maze’s favorite things. Maze shifts, tries to put a brake on her sleepy - or right now, not so sleepy - thoughts when the microwave pings. 

Ella grabs the mug and comes over to the couch. “Can I sit?”

The demon scoots over, clearing a spot on the couch for Ella. For a moment, they sit in a somewhat uncomfortable silence. Maze sits crossed-legged and her back is straight, while she feels Ella watching her. When she turns her head, she sees the thoughtful glance in Ella’s eyes, above the mug she’s holding - a white one, with the line ‘Time to freak out with my geek out, which almost makes Maze snort. 

“What?” the demon demands.

“Maze… can I try something?” Ella squints her eyes a little and puts her mug on the table. She leans over. and places her hand on Maze’s lower arm. Ella looks better, Maze believes, investigating the look on Ella’s face. More like her old self. Back into… science mode, apparently. Which is a good thing.

“What?” Maze repeats.

Ella leans forward, lifts her hand to cup Maze’s cheek and captures Maze’s lips with her own. Maze eyes widen and she sharply takes in a breath of air, but after a split second, she responds. Hell, this is nice. Better than nice. Ella’s full, warm lips cause freaking fireworks on one of those lame ass holidays these humans celebrate. Ella seems to hesitate after the initial contact, but Maze, with her millenia of experience, is quick to take over. She rakes her hands through Ella’s hair, pulling her closer while she lets her tongue slip through Ella’s opening lips. Ella whimpers, Maze feels her blood heat up, rushing to her veins, coming together in her lower belly. And then, she pulls back instantly, nearly pushing Ella away. Ella yelps in surprise.

“What’d you do that for?” Ella cries out, trying to regain her breath. Even in the faint light that comes from the kitchen, Maze sees her reddened cheeks. 

“You started it,” Maze snaps back, trying to get herself under control.

“No, I mean, why’d you stop?”

Stunned, Maze looks at her, but recovers quickly. “Look, Ella, I’m all for taking you to bed and giving you the best time you’ve ever experienced, but you deserve more than that.”

“Hm,” Ella hums, still frowning.

“And I… I don’t do love.” 

“I don’t think I’ve asked for that. maybe a good time is exactly what I need.” Ella folds her arms in front of her chest. They both know it’s a lie.

“Oh come on, Ella. You know that isn’t true. All you want is a- a… I don’t know what you want!” Maze bites, and even though “I’m not going to ruin our… roommateship, friendship, whatever the hell this ship is, because you need a rebound.” She waves a hand, frustrated with the situation.

Her body protests as she jumps up and increases the space between them, because it wants, wants, _wants_ Ella, but Maze vigorously suppresses it. 

Ella jumps up, too. “You’re not a rebound,” she protests vehemently. “I really appreciate all that you did, _do._ You’ve been hella nice, Maze, and you’re a great friend but, I don’t know, I thought there was… _something_ else and I thought…” Her voice dies away, and Maze is only a little bit surprised. “I like you, Maze.”

Maze is stunned. She replays the conversation in her head, hears Linda’s words in her mind, and finally lifts her gaze to meet Ella’s. “Why?”

Ella frowns. “Why what? Why do I like you?”

“Yeah,” Maze repeats slowly, eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“Well, I don’t know. I just _do._ Because you're a really great girl.” Ella’s soulful brown eyes meet hers and there’s a sincerity that almost breaks Maze, and she feels despair building up inside her. 

“You _can’t.”_

 _“_ Why not?” Ella frowns now, confused.

“Because I feel… _attached_ to you and if you knew who I really was, what I’ve _done,_ you’d reject me like everyone else and I can’t-” She snaps her jaws shut, eyes desperately wandering through the room. She feels vulnerable, much more than after all that happened with Eve, and Maze _hates_ feeling vulnerable.

She grabs her boots and pulls them on in one movement, and adds with a snap, “I need fresh air.” And before Ella can say anything, she’s disappeared into the night.

She doesn’t return.

~*~

The next day, Maze avoids Ella at work. Which is pretty difficult, because Ella purposely tries to find her. Maze desperately goes to find Chloe. “Give me someone to find. Preferably far away from here.” 

“Uhm,” Chloe answers, “I don’t have anyone I need to find right now, Maze.”

“I don’t care who. Give me something. Preferably someone I can hit. I can also do a tough interrogation for you.” She balls her fists and stretches her fingers right after. “Just lock me up in a room with someone.”

Chloe looks at her, thoughtfully. “You know, Maze, you might want to talk to Ella.” 

“Why the hell would I do that?!” Maze snaps at her, but Chloe isn’t impressed - she hardly ever is anymore - and suddenly, Maze is curious about what the blonde knows. “Why? What’d she tell you?” she demands to know, planting her hands on her hips. Damn it, even that doesn’t help. Chloe stares at her, unfazed.

“Well, that’s not up to me to tell you. Talk to her. And maybe... don’t run away this time.” 

“Look who’s talking,” Maze mutters, and she misses the hurt on Chloe’s face. 

“I know you care for her, otherwise you wouldn’t have looked after her the way you did,” Chloe vehemently says. “Just don’t be an asshole.” 

She wants to move away but Maze blocks her path. “You think I’m an asshole?”  
  
“Well, sometimes, yes, you are. If you’re going to be one right now, that depends on what your next actions are going to be.”

~*~ 

Maze still doesn’t want to talk to Ella because she doesn’t know what to tell the latina, but her talk to Chloe made her curious about what Ella and Chloe talked about. And Chloe’s not going to spill it. She lasts until right before Ella locks down the lab for the day, and when the young woman turns, she bumps into Maze.

“Maze! Geez, _finally_. We need to talk.”

“What’d you tell Chloe?” Maze snaps, all her pent up emotions want to get out immediately.

Involuntarily, Ella takes a step back, and Maze hisses at the gesture. She was _right._ But at the exact same time, Ella steps forward again, grabbing Maze’s upper arm. “Okay, I really don’t understand why you’re mad right now because _you_ were the one leaving after telling me that everyone rejects you and this is really not the place.” 

“Why the hell not?” 

“Because these are private conversations and the entire precinct doesn’t need to hear this,” Ella answers, and her eyes plea for her to listen.   
  
Maze looks up, sees the weary glances from the people around her and scoffs. They should all mind their own fucking business. She scowls at them, grabs Ella’s upper arm and shoves her into the nearest utility closet. “There’s privacy here. So talk,” she growls, folding her arms in front of her chest.

Ella’s still a bit dazed from this turn of events, after Maze avoided her the entire day. “Uhm, well. I asked Chloe what it means when someone’s _attached_ to you. Because you left before I could ask and you avoided me the entire day, so I couldn’t really ask you, am I right?”

Hm. Ella has a point, Maze thinks. It takes away a bit of her anger. 

“So?” Ella asks, and Maze looks up, a little confused.

“So, what?”

“What does it mean?” 

“Didn’t Chloe already tell you?”  
  
“Well, she gave me her take on it,” Ella answers, “but since you’re operating on a whole other level, she advised me to ask you myself.”

There’s a silence that lasts for several seconds, but these are seconds that seem to stretch out over decades when Maze ponders her answer. Ella tilts her head, plants her hands on her hips and tilts her head, awaiting an answer. 

“It means that I… I-” Maze swallows. “I don’t know,” she confesses, insecurity lining her voice. She feels how she starts to sweat. Maze is terrified.

Maze is _never_ terrified.

Ella watches her closely, and her eyes soften. “Do you want me to tell you what I think it means?”

Maze wraps her arms around herself. It’s a lame defense mechanism, she realizes it, and drops her arms directly. “What?”

‘I think it means that you like me, too.” Ella smiles fondly, eyes shimmering, and Maze feels her stomach drop in the familiar sense of defeat and despair. 

“But… I can’t.” Maze’s voice is barely audible.

“Why not?”  
  
“I don’t have a soul.” It’s been eating at her, and no matter what Linda told her before, she feels this gaping hole, as if a part of her is missing. It _must_ be her soul.

“Yeah, you said that before. And I don’t care, Maze.” Now, Maze carefully takes a step forward. “Do you want to know why?”

Maze is afraid to speak, and shakes her head. 

“Okay, so, look, we’re like complete opposites, am I right? Day and night, fire and water, yin and yang and all that.”   
  
Maze looks at Ella. Okay, she’s not really good with this emotional shit but she does know when she’s turned down. She’s dealt with being turned down for the better part of her long, immortal life. And she’s not going to wait until it happens again.

“I’m off,” she snarls, turning on her heels and reaching for the door. 

“No, Maze, wait,” Ella vehemently tries to stop her from leaving. 

“What?!” Maze lashes out, but Ella is not impressed. Hell, she’s even smiling.

“Don’t you know that opposites attract?” Ella tilts her head, one corner of her mouth lifted in a half-smile. “It’s even all over science.”

Maze’s hand hovers over the door, but she stands frozen, and apparently, it gives Ella some courage to continue. “I meant that, maybe at first glance it doesn’t _seem_ like we have something in common. But I don’t care who you are. What you are. You’ve shown me more compassion, friendship, _love_ , these last weeks than most humans in my entire _life_ . So, soul or not, you like me, and I like you, and I’m not asking for anything else than a _chance._ ”

Flabbergasted, Maze blinks swiftly when she tries to process what Ella says. She’s picking apart every word, but there’s one part that sets off all of her internal alarm bells. 

“Wait, you _knew_ I was a demon?” Maze cries out in disbelief.   
  
“Well, um, I kinda guessed. And you confirmed it just now,” Ella smiles, a little tentative. “Still not really sure what that all means though. Except that I should prooobably freak out a little right about now.” 

Maze eyes her for a few seconds. “Yeah, I guess you should,” she growls, arms folded in front of her chest again. It’s a lame defense mechanism, she knows, but she can’t help it. ”It means that you’re standing in a fucking utility closet with the most skilled and efficient torturer Hell’s ever known.” 

Ella _should_ be freaking out. She should scream for help, cry for Maze to leave her alone, but she does none of those things. Instead, she just looks a little amused. “You’re still not scared of me?”

“Nope.” Ella smiles, her eyes shine, and she raises a hand to cup Maze’s face. 

“And despite knowing that, you… _like_ me,” Maze snorts, disbelief evident in her words.

“Yep, apparently.” Ella’s gaze softens. “I’ve never rejected you, you goofball. The only one who’s doing rejection here is you.” She lifts her head. “So, can I kiss you now-”

Before Ella’s sentence is finished, Maze’s lips collide with Ella’s and she pushes the latina backwards, until Ella’s back is against the wall. Ella buries her fingers in Maze’s dark hair, pulling her even closer, her tongue battling with Maze’s for dominance. And Maze, despite all of her experience, feels something she hasn’t felt before and it rushes through her body, sets her skin on fire before it collides in her chest and she sees fireworks behind her eyes when Ella bites her bottom lip hard. She moans and pulls back, panting, and she doesn’t realize that she’s closed her eyes until she opens them - gazing directly into Ella’s dark eyes. She sees her own passion mirrored in Ella’s expression, and what’s more, there isn’t any hint of fear. 

Something inside Maze’s chest heals, a part that she didn’t even know was missing and she has to grin - a smile that reaches her eyes like it hasn’t done for so long. Then, she leans towards Ella again, but now, the latina stops her. 

“Maze, as much as I would love to explore… well, you, I’m not sure a utility closet is the best place to see each other naked the first time.”

Begrudgingly, Maze withdraws. “Well. That means we’ll have to head home early.”

“Not complaining over here.” And with that, Maze yanks open the door and pulls Ella along. Ella yelps and laughs simultaneously and Maze grins and the combination is so unfamiliar that they turn heads when they leave.

~*~

“Show me.”

“No.”

“ _Excuse_ me, you’ve been my girlfriend for weeks. Show me.” 

“No.” Having Ella call Maze her girlfriend is still something Maze needs to get used to, but she likes the ring of it.

Ella groans and lets herself fall back on the pillow. “Why not?”

“Why would you want to?”

“Because it’s a part of you and I want to know you. All of you.” 

Maze sighs impatiently. Ella has been dogging Maze for days in order to make the demon show her real face. Maze always says no and before Ella can try to convince her, Maze goes out to run an errand. Right now, that isn’t really an option. 

It’s late in the evening, they just regained their breaths and full control over their limbs after their most recent session of lovemaking and Maze really doesn’t want to get dressed right now. And she knows that Ella knows. “When Chloe saw Lucifer for the first time it took her months to recover.” It’s a lame defense, they both know it, and Ella snorts.

“Yeah well, but she didn’t believe him at that point. I do believe.” The latina sighs exasperated. “Is there even a human that’s seen your real face?”

There’s a short silence. “Trixie did,” Maze mutters.  
  
Ella’s eyes grow wide. “Wait, _what?”_

“It was Halloween,” the demon defends herself, “She thought I looked cool.” 

“Well, I’m closer in age to Trixie than I am with you, so you gotta deliver. We’ll just pretend that it’s Halloween, okay?” Ella’s brown eyes start to shimmer.

Maze sits cross-legged on the bed, naked. “No.”   
  
“Oh, come _on,_ Maze!” Ella cries out. “What are you afraid of? That I’ll run away screaming?”   
  
She might’ve meant it as a joke, but her words ring true in Maze’s ears and Ella’s brow furrows as she realizes that this is _exactly_ what Maze’s afraid of. Maze turns her head away from Ella to hide her expression, but it’s too late - Ella already knows. “Oh,” the young woman mutters. “I’m sorry, Maze.” She crawls up, and comes closer, enveloping Maze in a tight hug. Maze stiffens. 

“It’s just that, everyone’s always _left_ me,” Maze murmurs. “My mother, Lucifer when he went back to hell, Eve... Part of me still thinks that you will, too.” She scoffs. “I hate feeling like this.”   
  
“Like what?” Ella murmurs, nose nuzzling Maze’s cheek. It tickles a little bit and Maze leans into Ella’s embrace. 

“Vulnerable. Weak.” She feels weirdly introspective. Part of her doesn’t want to talk about all of this. And part of her desperately wants to.

“Well, I can tell you that being vulnerable around the people you deeply care for is not a bad thing, but you won’t believe me anyway,” Ella says with a roll of her eyes. “ Because you’re stubborn as… well, hell, I guess. But what I _do_ know, is that you’ll be scared of me running away for the rest of your life, or well, the rest of _my_ life probably, you being immortal and all.” She pulls back a little, to look at her lover. “I don’t want that for us. I don’t want you to not trust me not to walk out on you.” 

Maze eyes Ella wearily. “So you’re saying, if this doesn’t scare you enough to walk out on me, nothing else does?”

“I already _know_ I won’t. You’re the disbeliever here.” Ella returns the gaze, slightly amused. And Maze sees how Ella believes what she’s saying, she’s radiating confidence. And maybe it’s exactly that confidence that rubs off on Maze, if only a little.

“Okay,” Maze slowly says, almost regretting it instantly..

“Okay?” Ella says, surprised. Then, she grins. “I thought it’d take more than that.” 

“Don’t make me change my mind,” Maze growls, and Ella squeezes her arm.   
  
“I won’t! I won’t,” Ella rushes to reply, “Um, right now?”

“You’re absolutely sure?”

“One hundred percent.” Ella sits up in anticipation, like a puppy waiting to get a treat. It makes something squeeze inside Maze’s chest. Something else than nerves. Maze inhales deeply, feels how her heart rate speeds up.

“Then here we go.” 

It’s the scariest thing she’s ever done, Maze realizing as she closely pays attention to any minor shift in Ella’s facial features. But when the glamour falls, Maze’s eyes only widen. Instinctively, Maze wants to turn away, but Ella’s hand stops her.

“Oh, Maze. Can I… touch you?”

“You already are,” Maze mutters, pointedly looking at her arm, but Ella shakes her head.   
  
“No, your _real_ face. Can I touch you? I-” Maze sees how Ella raises a hand, then pauses, her fingers reaching for her and then bending, to contain herself, waiting for permission

“I guess,” Maze mutters, and when Ella’s hands flutter over her demon cheek, her eyes fall shut. Her heart is pounding in her ears so loudly as she feels how Ella’s soft hands investigate her face, her _real face_ . She feels how she cups her face, shifts on the bed and whispers: “You’re beautiful, Maze. Can I kiss you now?”   
  
There’s a barely audible confirmation before Ella softly presses her lips against Maze, and the demon releases a shuddering breath. She feels how Ella smiles against her mouth, finger strill trailing over the demon part of her face. “Well, I guess I was wrong.” 

Alarmed, Maze’s eyes fly open. “Wrong? About what?”

“You really _are_ a bad girl. Buuuut… In a good way. I’m not making concessions on that.” 

“Hm,” Maze replies, not entirely convinced that Ella’s really okay with it.

“I’m betting everyone in hell is scared shitless when they see you.” Ella smiles. “But guess what?”

“What?” Maze whispers.  
  
“I didn’t run away. And I’m sure as hell not scared of you.”

Relief washes over Maze in waves, causing her to relax under Ella’s gentle hands. She pouts. “I thought you once called me ‘hella scary,’” she replies, a little indignant. 

“You still are,” Ella replies fondly, “but I am not scared _of_ you. Never really was either.” She withdraws her investigating fingers and Maze’s glamour is intact again. She places a hand on Ella’s chest, pushing her backwards onto the mattress. Maze moves closer.

Ella laughs, and Maze’s heart feels lighter. To her surprise, she realizes that the hole she felt, the hole she’d assigned to not having a soul, doesn’t feel as empty anymore. She smiles as Ella pushes herself up on her elbows, raising an eyebrow. “So, I think maybe I’ve got a new type.”

“And what’s that?” Maze lowly growls, straddling Ella and leaning over her until their noses almost touch. Ella’s breath excellerates in anticipation.

“I call it the good bad girl,” she murmurs, “and I’ve only encountered one of those.” 

“You nerd,” Maze snorts, and then crashes her lips against Ella’s. "I'll show you how much of a bad girl I really am." And they don’t talk about types, about _anything_ , until a long time after.


End file.
